How and why was the Bible written? Drawing on the latest archeological research and a wide range of comparative texts, this course synthesizes fascinating recent research in biblical studies and presents a powerful new thesis: Facing catastrophic defeat, the biblical authors created a new form of community—what today we would call "peoplehood." Their achievements bear directly on modern questions of politics, economics, and theology.

Notes on 28 Lectures I Watched in This Course:

The Merneptah Stele: The Oldest Reference to Israel

Canaan as Outback between Mesopotamia and Egypt Civilization Centers

The Three Centers of Early Jewish History

The Amarna Letters and Egypt's Presence in Canaan During the New Kingdom

The End of Egyptian Imperial Control

Maps of Historical Biblical Regions

Interview with Bill Deaver

Israel, Judah, and the Campaign of Shishak

The Omride Dynasty

725 BC: The Fall of Israel to Assyria

The Kingdom of Judah and Sennacherib

The Fall of Judah

The History of Israel According to Genesis and Exodus

Archaeological Theories on the History of Israel

The Rise of the Iron Age Kingdoms

Bronze Age vs. Iron Age Material Culture

History of the Central Highland States

Judah After the Babylonian Conquest

Factors Leading to the Depopulation Of Israel

The Elephantine Papyri

Judahite Communities in Babylon

Ezra-Nehemiah and Haggai on Temple Rebuilding

The Biblical Project

From the Bible to the Sumerian King List

Genesis Chapter 26: Isaac, Abimelek and Rebekah

The Biblical Authors' Portrayal of Women and Heroism

The Bible's Treatment of Heroic Death

Portrayal of Death in the Bible

22 People I Have Learned About in this Course:

Sir Flinders Petrie (1853-1942)

English Egyptologist who discovered the Merneptah Stele (earliest text about Canaan), an inscription by the Egyptian king Merneptah from 1213 BC at Thebes

pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and preservation of artifacts

developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings

Akhenaten (1380-1334 BC)

Tenth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty who abandoned polytheism and introduced monotheistic worship centered on the Aten

his queen was Nefertiti

father of Tutankhamun (King Tut)

Amenhotep III (1400-1351 BC)

Ninth pharaoh in 18th century dynasty, reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity and artistic splendor

Egypt reached the peak of its artistic and international power

his son was Akhenaten

Nefertiti (1370-1330 BC)

the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of Akhenaten, the pair known for introducing monotheism to Egypt

bust is in the Egyptian museum in Berlin

Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC)

Greatest military leader in Egyptian history

no record of him ever losing a battle

has been called the Napoleon of ancient Egypt

made Canaan into one of his imperial possessions, a province in his vast empire

extended kingdom into modern Turkey, into the Hittites

initiated the Pax Aegyptica

Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC)

The "Great Ancestor" pharaoh who reasserted Egyptian control in the north over Canaan and in the south into Nubia

often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire

third pharaoh of the 19th dynasty

Ramesses III (1217-1155 BC)

The last great New Kingdom king to wield any substantial authority over Egypt

2nd Pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty

David (1040-970 BC)

Second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah

1010–1002BC: ruled over Judah

1002–970BC: ruled over United Kingdom

a righteous king, not without faults

acclaimed warrior, musician, and poet, traditionally credited for composing many of the psalms

Omri (970-873 BC)

The sixth king of Israel after Jeroboam, credited with the construction of Samaria and establishing it as his capital

successful military campaigner

founder of the House of Omri which which included other monarchs such as Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, and Athaliah

King David (1040-970 BC)

Second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah

1010–1002 BC reigned over Judah

1002–970 BC reigned over United Kingdom

the only sources of David are the Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles

King Saul (1082-1010 BC)

First king of a united Kingdom of Israel and Judah

he fell on his sword to avoid capture in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa

succession to his throne was contested by Ish-bosheth, his only surviving son, and his son-in-law David, who eventually prevailed

King Solomon (1011-931 BC)

King of Israel and the son of David

the third king of the United Monarchy

final king before the rupture into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah

the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem

Ahab (930-874 BC)

The seventh king of Israel, the son of Omri according to the Hebrew Bible

reigned for 22 years

most probably fought in the Battle of Qarqar is mentioned in extra-biblical records

in the Biblical text, Ahab has five important encounters with prophets

Athaliah (900-836 BC)

Daughter of Omride King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, became queen consort of Judah as the wife of King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and later queen regnant for six years.

worshiped Baal, tolerated by Jehoram who worshipped YHWH

after Jehoram's death, Ahaziah became king of Judah, and Athaliah was queen mother

she and her family were exterminated by Jehu which ended Omride rule

Jehoram (920-842 BC)

King of the northern Kingdom of Israel, son of Ahab and Jezebel, and brother to King Ahaziah, and grandson of Omri

Jehoram worshiped Baal

author of Kings speaks of both Jehoram of Israel and Jehoram of Judah in the same passage, which can be confusing

Jehu (875-815 BC)

Tenth king of Israel, noted for exterminating the house of Ahab at the instruction of Yahweh

ruled from 842–815 BC

principal source for the events of his reign comes from 2 Kings 9-10

Jehoash of Israel (840-782 BC)

King of the ancient Kingdom of Israel

according to the second book of Kings, Jehoash was sinful and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh for tolerating the worship of the golden calves

Jehoash of Judah (860-800 BC)

King of Judah, first Judahite king to be descended from both the House of David and the House of Omri

the sole surviving son of Ahaziah after the massacre of the royal family ordered by his grandmother, Athaliah

Jeroboam II (786-746 BC)

Son and successor of Jehoash of Israel, 14th King of Israel

his reign was contemporary with Amaziah and Uzziah, kings of Judah.

Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC)

King of Assyria who introduced advanced civil, military, and political systems into the Neo-Assyrian Empire

seized the Assyrian throne during a civil war and killed the royal family

made sweeping changes to the Assyrian government, considerably improving its efficiency and security

subjugated much of the known world at the time

discouraged revolts against Assyrian rule with the use of forced deportations of thousands of people all over the empire

Hezekiah (740-687 BC)

13th king of Judah who witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by Sargon's Assyrians in c. 720 BC and was king of Judah during the invasion and siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BC

son of Ahaz and one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible

enacted sweeping religious reforms, including a strict mandate for the sole worship of Yahweh and a prohibition on venerating other deities within the Temple in Jerusalem

Isaiah and Micah prophesied during his reign

King Jeconiah (660-580 BC)

The king of Judah who was dethroned by the King of Babylon and taken into captivity

was the son and successor of King Jehoiakim

most of what is known about Jeconiah is found in the Hebrew Bible

tablets found in Iraq were excavated his Jeconiah's food ration tablets

raiders killed his king father, and he reigned for three months

seized by Nebuchadnezzar II's armies

Nebuchadnezzar's intent was to take high class Judahite captives and assimilate them into Babylonian society

while in captivity, the deported Jews still regarded Jeconiah as their legitimate king

7 Vocabulary Words I Learned in this Course:

autochthonous, n. indigenous rather than descended from migrants or colonists⇒ "In contrast to the book of Exodus, the Book of Genesis tells a history of Israel that is autochthonous."

execration text, n. ancient Egyptian hieratic texts, listing enemies of the Pharaoh, most often enemies of the Egyptian state or troublesome foreign neighbors⇒ "Egyptian execration texts call for the destruction of various places putting curses on these places, and the Merneptah Stele announces the demise of Israel at the hand of an Egyptian ruler, Merneptah."

factor, n. a person who does things for another person or organization⇒ "Better to live a well-fed factor in Egypt than die a starving free man on the steppes of Asia."

hypostasize, v. to treat or represent something abstract as a concrete reality⇒ "Anat-Yahu was represented as either the wife or sacred consort of Yahweh, or as a hypostatized aspect of Yahweh."

precipitously, adv. abruptly, with sudden descent and to a great degree⇒ "It seems safe to say that the level of prosperity that Judah achieved in the 7th century sank precipitously with the end of the Iron Age and the Babylonian destruction."

synchretism, n. the combining of different, often contradictory beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought, the merger and analogizing of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths⇒ "The Nabonidus Cylinder of Sippar is a long text in which Nabonidus describes how Nabonidus repaired three temples: the sanctuary of the moon god Sin, the sanctuary of the warrior goddess Anunitu in Sippar, and the temple of Šamaš in Sippar, a significant text in that it offers a full syncretism of Sin (moon god), Marduk (patron deity of Babylon), and Nabu (god of wisdom and writing)."

ziggurat, n. a massive structure built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels⇒ "Canaan is not where we witness major technological advancements or the erection of pyramids and ziggurats."